Death toll from blasts in eastern DR Congo rises to 16

The death toll from two explosions in Bukavu in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has risen to 16, government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said late Friday.

The explosions occurred Thursday at the heart of Bukavu shortly after a political rally in support of the M23 rebels. The government and M23 accused each other of perpetrating the blasts.

M23 claims control over several territories in eastern DRC, including Bukavu and Goma, the provincial capitals of South Kivu and North Kivu. On Friday, M23 appointed a "governor" of South Kivu, after establishing a parallel administration in North Kivu in mid-February.

The ongoing conflict between M23 and the DRC government is deeply rooted in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and longstanding ethnic tensions.

The DRC accuses Rwanda of supporting M23, while Rwanda claims that the DRC army has allied with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a rebel group accused of participating in the genocide against Tutsis.

The conflict has led to massive population displacements and a worsening humanitarian crisis. Tensions remain high despite diplomatic and military efforts to end the hostilities.

A meeting of foreign ministers from the Southern African Development Community and the East African Community, initially scheduled for Friday in Harare, Zimbabwe, did not take place for unknown reasons.

The joint SADC-EAC summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, three weeks ago represents the latest peace mechanism to address the crisis in the Great Lakes region.